Iesus Christ I beleue the forgiuenes of sinnes but his hart beleuyth not that Christe dyed for oure offenses and that by his deth he hath obtayned for vs forgyuenes of all oure sinnes He that waueryth thus can not but despayre in the laste extremite of hys lyfe And yf he dyspayre thā is he damned for he deperteth with an euyl consciēce hath no knowlege of Christ nor beleuyth the gospell Then what hope can he haue of euerlasting lyfe Yet our blynd gydes and seducers in the popes clargy haue taught vs that no man can precisely knowe whether he be in godes fauor or no. They that bene in this error what beleue had they dyd they not wander lyke the wynde nowe hether and thether were they not cleane voyde of fayth had they not a wretched vncertayne and a wauerynge lyfe howe could they knowe whether these workes pleased God or no what coulde this man thynke in hym selfe but thus I am a christened man I haue studyed to lyue well and to do good workes but yet I am vncerteyne whether my workes please God or whether my synnes be forgyuen me or not Myne yll dedes be mo thē my good I haue done mo synnes than vertues Alas what shall be come of me They that thus wauer doubt what hope can they haue in the agony of death what fayth haue they what thynge to trust vpon Satan and his owne conscience accuse hym of synne sayenge he that lyueth yll shall be damned thou neuer fulfylledest yet the cōmaundementes of God No synner can be saued Dothe not Christ saye yf thou wylt enter into lyfe kepe the commaundemētes but thou hast neuer kept thē Mat. 19. Here is no hope lefte but that a man oppressed with suche cogitacions must nedes despayre The blynde papistes haue taught vs poore wretches that the fundacion of oure hope lyeth in the grace of God The doctryne of the prests clargie and in the merytes of our owne workes / so that oure hope shulde be nothynge elles but the expectacion of lyfe commynge of Gods grace and of our owne deseruynges what hope is by the sophisters Item that our hope in no wyse could stande without the helpe of our merites / other of the sophisters doo thus defyne it hope is a boldenes of mynde conceyued of Goddes goodnes to haue euerlastynge lyfe through oure good workes Here thou herest these two grace and deseruynge but these two do yll ioyne together for where is grace there is no meretynge agayne where meretynge is there is no grace Therfore yf a seke persone tempted about his synnes thinke thus that without his owne merites he can loke for no saluaciō then he trusteth not to the grace of God neyther doth he apprehēd it nor grounde hym selfe vpon it for so he hath ben taught and led that it was presumpcion to saye a man myght be assuerid of Gods fauour without the addynge to of his workes and merites And thus haue we be led in this false persuasion so many yeares but in erneste tentacions there is none that can stande vpon his merites or dedes / for here commyth in the law of god accusyng hym and all other men that none of them all haue fulfylled yt Then where be the good dedes wherupō the seke man may truste and hope for saluation therby In our great tentations we all do fele that we be synners and that all oure lyfe is nought and so voyde of all goodnes that it is not able to abyde or stande in the seuere iudgement of god These blynd seducers haue made one fote of oure hope lame mayned which is grace The other fote lame and haltyng which is our owne workes Now howe can oure hope stand fast that we faule not in to desperation To proue than that by oure dedes we can deserue no iustificatiō nether any part therof with al that euer we are able to do Also that it is not in oure pouer to accompleshe the lawe of god The law but that law only seruyth to se our vnablenes oure vices synnes therby it nedyth no great declaratiō We see thys dayly in our selues that our flesh neuer ceasyth feyghtyng agaynst the spiritt doth inwardly gruge at euery good dede we doo so that this noughtines and corruption of ours marryth all wherby our good workes can not be pure nor acceptable that we doo Ro. vii Gal. v. .i. Iohn̄ i. Wherfore wryteth Iohn̄ yf we say we haue no syne 1. Ioh. 1 we deceiue our selues truthe is not in vs. Also all the faythfull saye dayly in the lordes prayer Forgiue vs our trespasses Esa lxiiii Esai 64 we be as vnclene euery one and all our ryghtuusnes lyke a clothe defyled with the flowers of a woman Forthermore yf we dyd fulfyll all commandmentes of god yet dyd we nothyng but which is our bound deuty to doe nether can we loke for any reward therby wytnes to Christe Luc. 17. Luc. xvii Whan ye haue done all that you can yet saye you be vnprofitable saruantes These wordes of Christ verely may plucke downe our glory and make vs all ashamed that we put no affiāce in our selues nor in our owne good workes Good workes Howbeit I speke not this to extenuat the worthynes of good workes or to plucke men backe from wel doyng For the scripture teachith vs that the study of good workes is euer to be employed wylles vs to be folowers of honesty and good workyng But no man muste put affiaunce in hys workes as though by the worthenes of thē he could obtayne grace or put away syn or gett his saluation For yf our ryghtuousnes and iustification before god stand in our myght or merites than dyed Christ in vayne Gal. ii Gal. 2. Good workes in their degree and order haue their valewe and be greatly cōmēded A good man ought to insewe good vertues to th entent he may do the wyl of his lord god whyche commaundyth vs to lyue vertuously and that he may also approue him selfe to his lord god that god our heauenly father may be glorifyed therby Mat. v. Mat. 5. Also we ought to doo good workes to shew our selfes thankfull agayne to God for his infinite benefites and gyftes Phi. ii Phil. 2. Also we must do good workes to exercise oure faith that they may be testimones of oure beleue and thus do they profyt both me and my neybour My neyghbour in gyuyng exāple to encorage hym the better to a christiane lyfe Also in that he is succored by them in his necessite Secundarly they profyt me in that they exercise my fayth and mortefye my fleshe and kepe me truly in my vocation 2. Pet. 1. For why yf I do any benefite to my fryndes and to myne ennemys and perceiue yt to come of a tranke and free hart than may I well assure my selfe that my faith is lyuely and a true faith which makyth of damned sinners the
bold to truste vnto it For yf he shulde promyse after oure deseruynges any thyng he culd neuer performe yt for oure merites be none and nothyng worth but he doth promise vs infinite goodnes in Christ with out our merites only of hys pure grace and mercy And therfore wryteth Paule Gal. iii. that god promysed Abrahā the blessyng cccc xxx The promise was made ere the lawe came yeares before the lawe of Moses was gyuen by cause that no man shuld so thynke that thys blessyng dyd stande of the workes of the lawe or that he culd not enioy thys fre promyse and blessyng of god before he dyd fulfyll all the lawe of Moses Wherfore for the loue of god lett all good men here marke that Abrahā neuer fayled nor dyd shrinke in faith nor neuer doubted at the promise of god nor of the loue grace of god toward him For so the holy gost doth say that he had a suer persuasiō mark well this Yf yt were a persuasiō that he had than yt was no opinion nor doubtyng that he had But fully dyd truste beleue he went not thyther whether hys incredulyte and doubtyng dyd byd him to goo the whiche doubtyng our papistes haue taught vs whether thought he thus whyther yt be true or not true I wyll do yt but his consience was fully persuaded that it was true that god had promised and that god wold be good and mercifull vnto hym had forgyuen his sinns had iustifyed him and wold neuer forsake him nor abiect him and after this lyfe also wolde gyue hī euerlastīg lyfe for the sede sake that was promised hym whiche was Christe Yf god had sayd thus to Abrahā Here Abraham I wyl be merciful vnto the I wyll forgyue the thy synnes always be present with the and helpe the so on this condition that thou kepe and fulfyll all my cōmaundmentes thus I say yf god had gyuen him his promis vnder this cōdition of fulfyllyng his cōmaundementes then Abrahams cōsience had neuer ben mery nor quiet but always doubting of the grace of god forgyuenes of hys synnes nor shuld bene certayne of his saluation For thus he myght haue taught I haue done all that I can with all deligence to fulfyll goddes preceptes yet I culde neuer fulfyll them so perfectlye as I awoght nothyng lyke wherefore thys promise of god is vncertane to me nether I can tell whether I shall take yt or no for bycause I haue not performed all that was inioyned cōmaunded me and god dyd gyue me his promyse no otherwyse but of this cōdition yf I kept his cōmaundemētes and I am not able so to do wherfore I am not suer whether he wyll gyue me these thynges that he promised I can do nothyng on my part and therfore how can he kepe his promise with me wherfore what hope can I haue nowe of helth Yt is but loste labor all that I go about thus I saye yf god had promised hys blessyng vnder this condition to Abraham then he myght wel haue despeared but now he addyd no such condition The promyse cam without any condicion all because we shuld not doubt but that his promise remanyth always suer and stable And this it is that god requireth only of vs that we shuld neuer doubt nor questione of his fre grace but to be bold and trust vpon yt that he is a louyng father to vs and we be his children But we culde not be so bolde of thys grace of god yf any suche condition of fulfyllyng the law were gyuen with all as yf thou kepe my cōmaundemētes wel thē shalt thou haue thy synnes forgyuen Therfore yt is necessary that the promise of this blessyng stand without all conditions and with outt all respect of oure workes or meretes but only in the fre grace of god for or els we culd neuer be suer of yt nor certane but always in doubt and mystrust For yf the remissiō of our sinnes shuld stand in the fulfyllyng of the lawe then our flesh beyng so weyke frayle and not able to fulfyll the lawe how shulde we know and be suer that god is good to vs or that we were in the fauor of god but rather shuld thynke that he were angre with vs because we neuer fulfyll his commaundmentes as we shuld do And thus the fre promise of god shuld stand voyde and in no effecte For why no man were able to obtayne yt But thankes and prayse be to the faythfull lord the father of our lord Iesus christ and ours the father of mercy and the god of all comforth wiche hauyng mercy vpon vs and tendering our weyknes hath not byldyd oure helth and saluation vpon no such brykell and weyke fundatiō as vpon our workes and our fulfyllyng of the lawe for so we culd neuer be saued But the fundation that we be groundyd vpon preuale agaynste the gates of hell The foūdacion of our hope is the great grace and mercy of god in his sone Christ For in him god hathe promised vs all the remisciō of oure sinnes and euer lastynge lyfe Thys promise is only and alone all our comforth that we may bouldly trust vpon So thus you se how god promyseth vs remisiō of our sinnes and lyfe euerlastyng not vnder any condytion of workyng and fulfyllyng the law but he gyuyth yt frely of his fre grace I say only alone throw Christe not for no workes of ours And therfore he gyuyth yt frely without any condition of our workes Bycause the promise myght stand fyrme and stable that is that we may be sure of the fauore of god of the remisiō of our synnes doubtyng nothyng therin notwithstandyng we be neuer so much synfull in oure nature vnworthy wretches that euery beleuyng christen man may say with Paule Thys I knowe and is vndoubted that nether deth nor lyfe nether āgels Rom. 8. nether prynces nor potestates nether thīges neygh nor thynges to cū nether heyght nor depnes nor no other creature is able to separate vs from the loue of god whiche is Iesus Christe oure lorde Here may we playne se that Paule had a bolde and a confident truste of the forgyuenes of his synnes and of his helth to come plentuously persuaded of the grace of God towarde hym or elles howe could he so feruently lerne reioyce and triumphe in sprite agaynste all creatures bothe in heauen and in the worlde so omnipotently desyryng them all beynge ryght suer and certayne that nothynge neyther aboue nor benethe coulde anoye him and why bycause he beleued in Christ and was sure of the mercy of God towarde hym through fayth / and therfore was his conscience so quiet and triumphant And euen so maye euery christen man lykewyse take the same corage and the same mynde in hym selfe Marke Howbeit no mā can do this vnlesse he put awaye all respecte of his owne merytes and workes and only trust vnto the free
true children of god Ioh. 1. Gal. 3. Itē here is to be noted that good workes be these which a man beleuyng in Christ workyth in faith in hys lawfull vocation after the ordenāce and forme of the lawe of god Contrary euyll workes Euyll workes and sinnes be these which be donne with out fayth and with a fayned charite trustyng vpon them to porchase the fauore of god the forgyuenes of synnes and the kyngdome euerlastyng the which is cleane and directly contrary from oure christian fayth For our christian fayth doth groūd vs vpō a more substātiall stone which is Christ The foūdacion of our faith the trew forgyuer of synnes and oure only reconciler which hath obteyned for vs thys grace hath washed away our sines and hath deserued for vs euerlastyng saluation This fayth makyth oure consciences that they wauer not not doubt any thyng of the grace of god For the properte of thys fayth is to quiet oure conscience Rom. 5. what true faith is The trewe catholyke and lyuely fayth is thys whan a man fully persuadith him selfe and beleuith stedfastly and nothyng doubth that he hathe god pacified and a moste gentyll father to hym for Christes sake to whom in all hys necessite aduersite and in all his affayres as a childe to his father he wholy committeth and cōmendyth him selfe putteth al his trust in hym callyth on him sekyng no succoure consolation nor goodnes but only of him Act. 15. This fayth purefieth oure hartes This faith is always workyng through charite hath the holy goost whiche moueth vs and styryth vs vp to follow the exāple of Christ which hath left behīd steppes of al good workes and paciente in afflictions for vs to folow sayēg to vs. This is my commaundemēt that ye loue together as I haue loued you Ioh. 15. You be my fryndes yf ye wyl do these thynges that I haue gyuen and taught you Ioh. 14. Ioh. 15. He that louyth me wyll kepe my lessons I haue gyuen you exāple as I haue done to you so do ye to youre selfes by this you shal be knowen to be my deciples yf ye haue loue one to an other Agayne he that takyth not vp his crosse and folowyth me Luc. 19. he is not my disciple Where there is no repentāce nor any amendmēt of lyfe No good fayth no good workes Trewe faythe trew workes and study of good workes verely there is no trewe fayth Trewe fayth can not be with out good workes no more than a good tree wyth out fruyte or the sone with out hys heet this is vndoubted Therfore let euery man examine and serche hym self well leste he deceiue hym selfe Many men there be whiche saye they beleue whan they haue no beleue as it may apere by their vyciouse wycked lyfe For this is certaīe where so euer trew faith is ther is also the feare of god there is repentance there a trew and a christen mannes lyfe folowyth there the old synful man is put of and a newe put on Eph. 4. For by cause this is the vertu and the operatiō of our holy baptisme that fayth doth clene renue and transforme a christean in to a new mā whych walketh not after fleshe but after the spirit Rom. viii Rom. 8. Then where the grace of god workyth in vs good fruyte and we begyne to followe the cōmandementes of god our old man is not all mortefied streyght waye but wyld and wanton with her lustes doth stryue agaynste vs all oure lyfe long and neuer ceasyth prouokynge vs to syne and euer rebellyth agaynste oure spirite lettyng hynderynge vs in all onest vertuys wherby we be not able to lyue so vpryght after goddys cōmandemētes as we wold Wherfore whan oure synfull conscience or the feare of death doth come vpō vs we cā not trust to our workes nor fynd any comforte therin but yf we wyll be saued we muste nedes cry with the holy kynge Dauid Enter not lord in to iugemēt with thy seruant for in thy syght no lyuyng flesh shall be iustefied Our good workes thoug they be neuer so holy and excellent yet the value of them is not such nether aught we to doo them for any suche purpose nether dothe god require them to be done of vs for that intent that we shuld be iustefied and saued by them For no man can truste any thyng to hys workes nether be they able to delyuer vs from oure death Our iustificacion only belōgeth to Iesu Christ that thyng only the workes of Iesus Christe is able to do and nothyng els Thys glory and honor is only dewe to him and to no man els to be a Iesus Iesus a sauiour that is by interpretation a sauior For he ōly taketh away our synnes iustifieth and sauyth vs by hys workes and pascion This is hys office his worke and dewte only for the whyche he was sent hyther of his heauenly father and ours to doo Therfore yf the holy workes and commandementes of god can bryng no peace of cōscience than what shall a miserable synner do in the distresse of his temtation whether shall he goo whether shall he turne hym selfe where shall he fynd help and succoure and comfort so than yf we wyll loke for any saluation we must firmely beleue and persuade our consciences that oure synnes be pardoned vs and clene taken away But now howe shall we be so certefied in our myndes I answere in suche temtations a man must nedes set apart the lawe and all hys good dedes that euer he hath done al hys strength al his pouer and merites and let them all goo in this poynt For here nothyng can succoure vs but only the workes and passion of Iesus Christ And therfore we must appele from the lawe Appele frō the lawe to the son streyght to the ryche mercyfull promyse of oure father in his sone Christ as vnto a suer succour and a sanctuary of eternall securitie and peace and holde it fast in a fyrme and a sure fayth And thus shall we fynde cōforte and quietnes ynoughe and more than we can desyre than nether synne nor death nor hell shal not be able to hurte vs. What the promyse of god is The promyse of God is this Almyghtie God hathe promysed vs damnable synners in his onely begoten sone Iesus Christ with out any maner of excepcion or condicion of our owne merites clerely of his owne free grace and goodnes Hie. 31. full remission of all our synnes his holy spirite and euerlastynge lyfe Heb. 8. and that he wyll euer more be oure father and that he wyll voutchsafe to receyue vs to his children and gyue vs perpetuall saluacion These be trewe fyrme eternal Heb. 9. vnfallible suer and stedfast God whiche is almyghtie 2. L … and whiche can not lye hathe so promysed to vs and hathe sworne depely by hīselfe that he wyll performe thē This is the
mercy and grace of God which grace is gyuē vs onely throughe christ and not throughe oure selues Tit. iii. Tit. 3. that notwithstandynge yet these good workes of ours do folowe and sprynge out of this faythe and promyse of God And loke there where as they do not folowe and maye folowe there is no trewe nor lyuely faythe but only a deed and barayne opinion of faythe but where this trewe and lyuely faythe is there is workyd miracles and thynges farre passynge the possibilitie of naturall workynge For as saynt Paule sayth / we receyue the holy goost not by our workynge but by hearing of the gospel Gal. 3. this holy goost wyll not suffre vs to doubte after the papistes fassion or as they wold haue vs nor to fere as their seruyle sprite dothe but with a bolde truste cryeth in oure hartes to God abba father and wytnesseth with oure sperite that we be the chyldren the heyers of God and felowe heyers with Christe that we maye be glorified together with hym And as Paule to the Ephesians sayth Ephe. 1. they that beleue in Christe be sealed vp with the holy spirite of promyse the spirite we haue as a pledge or an ernest peny of our inhereditaunce and possession which we haue got and be redemed vnto The holy spirete is our pleas Therfore with all fayth and trust we muste euer loke vpon the promyses of God and vpon Iesus Christ only And so in this promyse of God our conscience may fynde comfort and peace plentie but in our workes we shall fynde none And therfore marke wel this text of Paule and kepe it well in youre remembraunce where he sayth Rom. 4. Rom. iiii Abraham had this promyse gyuē to hym to his sede that he shuld be the heyre of the worlde not for his workynge after the lawe but for his byleuynge in fayth / for yf they whiche belonge to the lawe be the heyers then is fayth voyde and the promyse of none effecte / for why the lawe worketh angre by reason that yf there were no lawe there were no transgression therfore is the inheritaunce gyuē by fayth as by grace frely bycause the promyse muste stande fyrme stable to all the sede of Abraham Dayly experience and practyse in our trobles and dystresses declareth that no man be he neuer so holy can quyet his conscience by his workes Experience Oure synnes and death be more greuous enemyes vnto vs than that we be able to ouer come thē by oure owne dedes and deseruynges / we must haue an other maner of meanes to that whiche is our faythe receyuynge and holdynge the promyse of God in Christe And so that is able to conquere the mighty fersnes of synne and death This fayth receyueth and styketh to most sure and eternall thynges that can neuer fayle vs and not to oure workynges but to the great grace of God to Christe him selfe to his workes his deseruynges and to the promyse in Christe brefely to all that Christe hathe or is worth / whiche thynges be moch greatter higher more stable and magnificall thā our capacities is able to comprehende Remedy ī tēptaciō Therfore whan any temtacion commeth we must not loke to the lawe and oure workes but settynge all them a syde we must runne and crepe to the crosse of Christ we must seke for helpe and grace by christ hūbli must knowlage oure faultes And thoughe oure synnes be neuer so great or greuous thoughe the feare and temptacion of deathe be neuer so horrible yet we must styll styke to the promyse of God and suerly must trust and doubte nothynge that oure synnes be forgyuen vs for Christes sake accordynge to the promyse of God without any deseruynges of ours that God is oure father and we shall lyue with hym for euer and euer The workes passion of Christ which be of great and infinite and omnipotent power ought more to styre vs vp to truste well on God that he wyll be euermore to vs a mercyful lord than our synnes ought to fraye vs for the grace of God in Christe is moche stronger and more able to deliuer and helpe vs than our synnes be to condempne vs. Roma v. Rom. 5. And this grace of god doth not hang of our workes for than yt shulde be vncertayne but yt standyth fyrme by grace of fayth through Christ with out any regarde or respect of oure workyng And this is done by the syngular prouedence of the great fatherly loue of god toward vs bycause our iustyficatiō shuld stand firme certayne by faythe so that no man nede doubt of the fauor marcy of god toward him yf this grace promise stand in the hand of god than is yt suer so that we can not doubt of the remiscion of our synnes But yf they shuld stād in our owne hand and shuld hang of our selfes thē we shuld always be vncertane by cause we were neuer able to deserue sufficiētly not of sufficient strenght to fulfyll the lawe But after that we returne referre our selfes in Christe alone and in the promise of god through Christe than be we sayfe and suer ynough by cause god hath promised of hys voluntary grace frely and hath founded his promise by the fayth in Christe to th entent yt shall stande fyrme certayne And therfore I sayd the kyngdome of Christ to be a kyngdome of securite and peace Christes kyngdom is a kingdom of securitie Esa 32. as the prophites do descrybe yt In this kyngdom we haue peace and moste suer succur so that there is nowe nether synne death nor hell can feare vs. So dothe Esaias also .ix. call Christe the prynce of peace woose pryncedome is large greate Christ the prynce of peace and whose peace shall neuer haue ende In Ieremie also .xxiii. god doth promise vnto Israell that is vnto all beleuers in Christe a boadde of iustice a kynge whiche shall rule wisely and shal execute iudgemēt and iustice in earth vnder whō Israell shall dwell boldly these thynges be in the spirituall kyngdome of Christ in the which there is true spirituall securitie where as euery christen mans hart hath peace with god through fayth in Christe in the whiche kyngdome nether synne can damne vs nether death cā kyll vs nor hell can swalow vs. For god is with vs and fedyth vs and defēdyth vs as his shepe Therfore who cā be against vs And Esaias agayn .xxxii. Esa 32. whē the holy gooste sayth he shall be powred from aboue that was whan Christ begane his kyngdome thā the worke fruyte of iustyce shall be peace and the kepyng of iustice shall be silens and securite for euer and euer And the peple of god shall dwell in goodlynes of peace and in houses of truste All these thynges do nothyng els but signifie that Christes people ī his kingdome shall be all good quiett at rest and mery which shall